Suntory Roku Gin (75cl, 43%)

A Japanese gin from Osaka, bottled at 43% ABV and defined by six native botanicals harvested across four seasons. Roku takes its name from six botanicals unique to Japan: sakura flower, sakura leaf, yuzu peel, sencha tea, gyokuro tea and sansho pepper. These are layered over eight traditional gin botanicals including juniper, coriander seed and angelica root. The House of Suntory, founded in 1899, distils each botanical independently, using vacuum distillation in stainless steel for delicate botanicals and a traditional copper pot still for bolder ingredients. The nose leads with yuzu citrus, followed by cherry blossom, green tea, buttery pastry and walnut. The palate is smooth and citrus-forward, with yuzu and juniper, then sencha and gyokuro teas bringing tannic bitterness and savoury depth, resolving into toffee-like sweetness and sansho pepper spice. The finish is medium-long and warming, with peppery tingle and green-tea astringency.